Tom Skerritt
| birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1962–present | alma_mater = Wayne State University University of California, Los Angeles | website = | spouse = | | }} | children = 5 }} Thomas Roy Skerritt (born August 25, 1933) is an American actor who has appeared in more than forty films and more than two hundred television episodes since 1962. He is known for his film roles in M*A*S*H, Alien, Top Gun, A River Runs Through It, Up in Smoke, and the television series Picket Fences. Skerritt has earned several nominations and awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1993 for Picket Fences. Early life Skerritt was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Helen, a homemaker, and Roy Skerritt, a businessman. He is the youngest of three children. Tom Skerritt Biography (1933-)Tom Skerritt Biography - Yahoo! Movies A 1951 graduate of Detroit's Mackenzie High School, Skerritt attended Wayne State University and the University of California, Los Angeles. Skerritt served a tour of duty in the United States Air Force. Career Skerritt made his film debut in War Hunt, produced by Terry Sanders and released in 1962. Skerritt's notable film appearances include M*A*S*H (1970), Harold and Maude (credited as "M. Borman", 1971), Big Bad Mama, Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke (1978), Ice Castles (1978), as Captain Dallas in Alien (1979), as a would-be astronaut in Contact (1997) and SpaceCamp (1986), and in Top Gun (1986) as Commander Mike "Viper" Metcalf. In 1988, he starred with Nancy Allen and Lara Flynn Boyle in Poltergeist III. In 1989, he played the role of Thomas Drummond "Drum" Eatenton in Steel Magnolias. In 1992, he appeared in the critically acclaimed Robert Redford-directed film A River Runs Through It, playing a fly-fish loving minister and father of the two protagonist brothers in the film. Skerritt played a guest part in Ray Walston's show My Favorite Martian(1963) in the 1963 episode 'Mrs. Jekyll and Hyde' (Walston was a regular cast member 30 years later in Skerritt's show, Picket Fences(1992)). Also, guest-starred in the television series The Real McCoys (1963), as a letter carrier in the episode "Aunt Win Steps In". He was cast in Bonanza in 1964 and on Death Valley Days in 1965, as a young gambler, Patrick Hogan, who meets a tragic fate after winning a small fortune in a saloon. In another Death Valley Days episode, "A Sense of Justice" (1966), he played a young Roy Bean with his older brother, Joshua Bean, played by Tris Coffin. In a later Death Valley Days role, Skerritt played Mark Twain in the 1968 episode "Ten Day Millionaires", with Dabney Coleman as Twain's mining partner, Calvin H. Higby. The two lose a fortune in gold, but Twain learns his future is in writing. Skerritt appeared in the ABC series Twelve O'Clock High (1964-1967), five episodes; Gunsmoke (1965-1972), also five episodes), and as Evan Drake on Cheers. He then appeared in CBS's Picket Fences (1992-1996), in the role of Sheriff Jimmy Brock, for which he won an Emmy Award. More recently, he has starred in Homeland Security and The Grid. He portrayed the deceased William Walker on Brothers and Sisters, having appeared in the pilot as well as in several flashbacks scenes. This was his second time playing the husband of Sally Field, the first having been in Steel Magnolias. He played the role of Ezekiel on ABC Family's miniseries Fallen. He also appeared as the guide on the showcase website for Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system. He lent his voice in the video game Gun (2005), where he voices Clay Allison. He guest-starred in seasons three and four of Leverage as Nate Ford's father. In February 2012, Skerritt played the title role in Pacific Northwest Ballet's production of Don Quixote. In 2014, Skerritt was reunited with ex-''Picket Fences'' co-star, Lauren Holly, to star with her in Field of Lost Shoes. Lucky, the final film, and big screen title role, of Harry Dean Stanton was with his co-cast star Skerritt, from 38 years before in Alien. Skerritt is founder and chairman of Heyou Media, a Seattle-based digital media company. Personal life Since 1988, he has divided his domestic life between his Lake Washington home in suburban Seattle, Washington, and a second home on Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands. Skerritt's first wife, Charlotte, is the mother of Skerritt's three older children. His second wife, Sue, operates a Seattle bed and breakfast. She and Skerritt had one child, Colin. Skerritt has one daughter, Emi, with his current wife, Julie Tokashiki. Filmography Films Television Awards and nominations Blockbuster Entertainment Awards *1998: Nominated, "Favorite Supporting Actor in a Drama" - Contact DVD Exclusive Awards *2003: Won, "Best Audio Commentary" - Alien Emmy Awards *1993: Won, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" - Picket Fences *1994: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" - Picket Fences Genie Awards *1982: Nominated, "Best Performance by a Foreign Actor" - Silence of the North Golden Globe Awards *1994: Nominated, "Best Performance By an Actor in a Dramatic TV series" - Picket Fences *1995: Nominated, "Best Performance By an Actor in a Dramatic TV series" - Picket Fences National Board of Review of Motion Pictures *1977: Won, "Best Supporting Actor" - The Turning Point Saturn Awards *2011: Won, "Best Guest Performer on Television" - Leverage Screen Actors Guild Awards *1995: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series" - Picket Fences *1995: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series" - Picket Fences *1996: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series" - Picket Fences Western Heritage Awards *1999: Won, "Best Television Feature Film" - Two for Texas References External links * * PersonRatings Profile }} Category:1933 births Category:Living people Category:American male film actors Category:American male television actors Category:Male actors from Detroit Category:Military personnel from Detroit Category:Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners Category:Male actors from Seattle Category:UCLA Film School alumni Category:Wayne State University alumni Category:20th-century American male actors Category:21st-century American male actors Category:United States Air Force personnel